Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month: Stories from Recorded Future Employees

May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures, and significant contributions of the AAPI community. Read about AAPI Heritage Month and its history.

At Recorded Future, we are proud to celebrate the voices and experiences of our AAPI colleagues. They play a vital role in shaping not only our company culture but also our company's success and trajectory.

The Importance of Sharing Inclusive Stories

"I think it’s important to understand that everyone is different and unique, but that is what gives us strength as individuals!" - Kaylee Burns

“I’m only half-Japanese and I often have experienced biracial erasure, being overlooked or ignored when discussing AAPI issues - although that’s not been the case while working at Recorded Future, it’s important to share various perspectives.” - Scott Kardas

Highlighting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our AAPI employees is essential for fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace. Harvard Business Review’s Lani Peterson notes how powerful storytelling is. Allowing individuals to share their unique experiences goes beyond metrics and fosters genuine personal connections. Stories help people empathize.

Getting to know you

Kaylee Burns, a self-described “Your Friendly Neighborhood Incident Responder” she has been a Sales Engineer at Recorded Future for the past 2 years. In this role, she leverages her technical expertise and her ability to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders in pre-sales situations to solve challenging problems for prospective clients.

"I spent many years as an incident responder sifting through open source threat intel. I discovered Recorded Future one day and I remember thinking that we HAD to get this technology. When I saw that an opportunity opened up for me at RF I knew I had to jump on the chance!" - Kaylee

Scott Kardas is an Associate Threat Intelligence Analyst. Our Global Issues team within Insikt Group® focuses on Strategic Geopolitics, Influence Operations, and Global Threats.

“I surface major events across the globe from the past 24-36 hours and parse the list down to the most important events, then write up notes of varying length and depth on the topics. I have to consider if the event is out of the ordinary, represents a major development in an ongoing event, or if it is specifically relevant to our clients.” - Scott

Kaylee on the left, Scott on the right

Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month

There are many ways to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month. Kaylee often celebrates by going to Korean BBQ with her family.

Scott attends AAPI events with his wife, such as the screening of the movie “Starring Jerry as Himself” which covers some problems facing elderly AAPI individuals in the US. They attend art exhibits or food festivals such as the Hallyu art exhibit or the new Japanese art exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

“Every month my wife and I also join other Asian Americans to help the elderly and underprivileged Asian-American community in Boston. We work with a local food bank to put together and distribute bags of food and fresh produce. Many of the elderly Asian-American people we help face language and cultural barriers.” - Scott

Engaging with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

Recorded Future is a culture of inclusivity, respect, and continuous learning. Our Employee Resource Groups are pivotal in promoting diversity and inclusion. Kaylee and Scott shared their motivation for getting involved and the rewards of their experience:

“I love being able to share cultures with other Futurists. Learning about the traditions and customs from around the world is a very humbling experience. Every single person at Recorded Future that I met has always been so helpful and kind.” - Kaylee

“ERGs are fun ways to get to know some people in the company and learn about other cultures.” - Scott

Looking Forward

As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, we recognize the strength that diversity brings to our company. The stories and experiences of our AAPI colleagues inspire us to continue building an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. We are grateful for their contributions and excited to see what is next.

Follow us on our social channels for more stories and reflections from our futurists. Check out our most recent blogs for Women’s History Month and Black History Month.